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After two years of war, Ukraine has done rather well.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, just back from the Munich Security Conference and a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky, made that point Friday morning in a conference call with reporters.
A Navy veteran and one-time Russian policy officer, Sherrill, of CD-11, noted that Ukraine has kept the key port of Odessa open for grain shipments, is still manufacturing munitions and has held its capital city, Kyiv.
But all is not rosy.
Without continued U.S. aid, she said, “It’s hard to see how Ukraine can hold on to that success.”
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, military support for the country was very much a bipartisan endeavor.
No longer.
The Senate did pass a Ukrainian aid bill a few weeks ago with Republican support.
But Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to post the bill for a vote in the House, despite indications it would pass. Former president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump opposes more aid to Ukraine.
Johnson, who was just in Bernards Township for a Tom Kean Jr. fundraiser, says he wants a bill that would protect the U.S. border. Such a bill was proposed in the Senate – again with bipartisan support – but fell apart because of Trump’s opposition.
So, how does one maneuver around the political morass and help Ukraine?
Sherrill acknowledged there is no easy answer, considering the political impediments.
One avenue is a “discharge petition,” which would be a way to bring the Ukrainian aid bill to the floor over the Speaker’s wishes. This type of parliamentary maneuver, however, is often difficult. In this case, Sherrill and her fellow Democrats would need at least a small number of Republicans to defy the Speaker.
Nonetheless, Sherrill said the aid bill that passed the Senate is the only viable path forward.
Interest in helping Ukraine fight its war against Russia actually increased during the Munich Conference when news reports told of the death of dissident Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison.
“It was like a gut punch,” the congresswoman said.
Sherrill said that in her meeting with Zelensky, the president was “quietly determined” about the task facing his nation.
But she said Ukraine cannot win the war alone.
“U.S. leadership is desperately needed,” Sherrill said.
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